1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dry, meaty pet food that is soft, elastic, and meat-like in texture. The pet food can be processed so that either a solid, fibrous product or an expanded product having a plurality of voids is obtained.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional dry type pet foods are characterized as having a moisture content of 15 percent by weight or less. When distributed in the normal marketing system they are characterized as having hard, brittle structures and as a consequence relatively small particle size and only a nominal resemblance to meat. A conventional dry pet food typically has the following formulation:
Percent by Weight ______________________________________ Amylaceous ingredients 24-50 Animal protein source 5-25 Vegetable protein source 10-30 Fat source 5-15 Supplements (vitamins, minerals, flavoring, etc.) 1-5 Water 5-15 ______________________________________
Due to the hard, brittle nature of these dry pet foods, it is often necessary to moisten them with water or mix them with moist foods in order to increase their palatability to a sufficient degree to obtain consumption. Furthermore, as shown by the above formulation, conventional dry pet foods often contain amylaceous ingredients including cereal grains at levels as high as 50 percent. The amylaceous content at any level, and especially at a high level of amylaceous ingredients is a stigma against a meat image that pet food manufacturers attempt to convey to customers of dry type pet foods. For these reasons there is a need for a dry type pet food which has a meat-like texture and appearance, and little or no amylaceous ingredients.